Folks its time to make some upholstery backing pieces and a pair of door cards so whats best Mdf or ply ??
What they said.^^ Ply does splinter a bit when cut, but if it's being covered it won't show. It's much better for screwing stuff into as well.
Originals were hardboard i.e.dense cardboard. Nowt wrong with MDF. I'd go for whatever you can get thinnest, the only reason for soggy cab door cards is missing plastic barrier. I haven't noticed other cards around vans going soggy unless there's a plumbing leak and ply de-laminates and splinters. I used ply though because it's cheapy cheap.
I use the smell method but use gaffer tape which is a bit stickier. You can get clear gaffer tape so you can mark the wood and still see your line.
I've used both over the years, but think ply is stronger and more resilient to damp. However if you want to save loads of hassle jk do pre-cut mdf panels.
Thinnest ply is about 4mm same as hardboard, which I've just been using to trim around the roof hole left from a pop top fitting. I also think ply is lighter than MDF.
I've just ordered some ply door panels on the recommendation of sharpey. All cnc cut but a bit more than a sheet of ply and cutting yourself. If you want the link I can forward it later.
Here is the item listing for a complete set. Having communicated through ebay and on the phone, I would say the guy is pretty helpful but I cannot speak of the quality as I won't get them until next week. However, Sharpey did say they were good. You can see from the listing that he can supply from one tailgate trim to a full set. The door panels can also have wholes cut to suit your model of van. Tell him you came from the The Late Bay. There's no discount etc but it's nice to let people know where they are getting their business from I think.
MDF is full of formaldehyde (not very nice stuff) So you park your van in the sun and walk off and come back later and the inside of your van stinks of formaldehyde Its OK if you put at least three coats of paint on it, but I'd use ply if I were you. Don't bother with marine ply, the only difference between that and normal ply is the price and the individual ply sheets have the grain running 90 degrees to the sheet underneath which is what you need if you're building a hard weather outdoor surface like a flat roof or a wheel house on a boat but for door cards standard ply will do
